---
description: January 30, 2015
---

# 1.1.7 Notes

## UPDATE 1.1.7: THROW DOWN THE GAUNTLET!

_Update 1.1.7 includes the new protector hero, the ability to play your own music, a much-needed Party screen overhaul, IM options, crazy network traffic optimizations, matchmaking improvements and additional AFK preventative measures. Let’s dig into this hefty update …_

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c92ea3e4b04cba734b97d4/1422470821817/#img.png)

### **ARDAN BACKGROUND & LORE**

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c93002e4b01efc50726aba/1422471185480/#img.jpg)

Ardan is a damage-soaking protector who dramatically changes the landscape of teamfights. Able to rescue friends from certain death and turn lost battles around with his powerful terrain-changing ultimate, Ardan brings immense utility to the team. Start Ardan in either the lane or jungle, depending on which ally you want to protect most.

Ardan is the first in a trio of heroes with interwoven stories and gameplay synergies. Keep an eye on the in-game News section for more about the upcoming heroes.

**Read Ardan’s story:**

* [**Catherine’s Mission**](http://www.vainglorygame.com/news/2015/1/1/new-year-new-story)
* [**Impossible Decision**](http://www.vainglorygame.com/news/2015/1/21/ardan-lore-impossible-decision)

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c93f1ae4b0f8fd13960670/1422475035236/#img.png)

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c945b5e4b0bfb27e7aa25b/1422476725809/#img.png)

### **JULIA’S GIFT (HEROIC PERK)**

Ardan heals for 1% of his missing health every time he takes damage. The healing can never exceed 75% of the damage taken. Instead of energy, Ardan uses a yellow meter called Vengeance. Vengeance builds over time and can also be gained with basic attacks, critical strikes and abilities. Because Ardan has no energy, any bonus energy (5%) and energy regeneration (50%) are converted to crystal power.

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c945e0e4b07dcbf97537ec/1422476769512/#img.jpg)

### **VANGUARD**

Ardan dashes to an ally, damaging and slowing nearby enemies while granting the target a burst of movement speed and a barrier which scales with Ardan’s bonus health. Any time the ally takes damage, Ardan gains vengeance. This ability can be used on Ardan, but the barrier, speed boost & vengeance gain is only half strength.

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c94616e4b05b18672bc806/1422476828729/#img.jpg)

### **BLOOD FOR BLOOD**

Ardan leaps and punches his target. This deals crystal as well as weapon damage (that can crit) and applies basic-attack effects. Blood for Blood can only be activated when Ardan has 100% vengeance and will consume all of it.

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c94634e4b017c335db58ee/1422476853161/#img.jpg)

### **GAUNTLET** <a href="#yui_3_17_2_4_1422470664015_77698" id="yui_3_17_2_4_1422470664015_77698"></a>

Ardan throws down the gauntlet, projecting a perimeter around the target area and gaining full vengeance. Enemies who cross the perimeter are stunned and take crystal damage. Successfully stunning an enemy grants Ardan vengeance. If Ardan leaves the perimeter it is immediately destroyed.

**REAL RECOMMENDED BUILD PATH**

In our haste to get this update out to you and get Ardan in your hands, we inadvertently listed Taka’s recommended items in Ardan’s RECOMMENDED section of the in-game Shop. Below are our actual recommendations based on playing Ardan in his natural Protector role:

1. **Ironguard Contract**
2. **Crucible**
3. **Journey Boots**
4. **Clockwork**
5. **Shiversteel**
6. **Warhorn (Ironguard Contract upgrade)**
7. **Fountain of Renewal**&#x20;

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c93fb6e4b00a94452cfb5c/1422475191837/#img.png)

### **PLAY YOUR OWN MUSIC DURING GAMES**

_Your battles in the Halcyon Fold will have the soundtrack of your choosing._&#x20;

“So many good suggestions come from our community, and this is one of them. After reading this idea, I thought to myself, it is a crime that I cannot play Vainglory and listen to dubstep at the same time. SO THIS HAS BEEN RECTIFIED.” _—TheRealKrul, game engine guru_

* When you play your own music from an iOS-recognized source, Vainglory’s background music will automatically fade away.
* When you stop playing your own music, Vainglory’s background music will return.
* Sound effects will remain on as to not create a gameplay disadvantage, but you can adjust or mute SFX volume in your iOS settings app.

### **MATCHMAKER IMPROVEMENTS**

_We won’t stop until you’re satisfied … and probably not then, either._

“Our matches are getting better and better, but we don’t stop at just “better.” We want “best.” We’ve made even more changes to the Matchmaker to improve the quality of enemies and allies you are matched with, and we won’t stop until every match is truly satisfying for you.” _—CaptainNeato_

* Experienced players are less likely to match with new players (and vice versa) — even after the magic “2:57.”
* Refined player skill rating system for more precise post-match elo gains and losses, based on multiple factors.
* Adjusted Party queue matchmakng to increase competitiveness.
* We continue to improve matchmaking based on your valuable feedback. Please share with us your new experiences [in the forums](http://forums.vainglorygame.com/index.php) or email us at [support@superevilmegacorp.com](mailto:support@superevilmegacorp.com).

### **AFK PREVENTION**

_Leavers should only play with other leavers. Your pleas are very much heard._

“If you have been a good citizen and never leave matches, we believe you shoud be paired with others that hold that ideal as well. We’ve had Karma help encourage this in the past, but we are turning up how important of a criteria Karma is on making matches in this update.” _—CaptainNeato_

* Players with good Karma scores are much less likely to be matched with players with an AFK recent- or long-term history.”
* Let us know if these AFK changes make a difference in your life. We hate AFKs as much as you do!

### **DRAMATIC NETWORK TRAFFIC REDUCTIONS (UP TO 70%)**

_TheRealKrul worked some wizardry on this one._

“We know that you guys experience lag from time to time, and heck yes we know it’s frustrating when it happens to you. There is a lot that is out of our control when it comes to your network performance, but in an effort to attack lag head on, we have significantly reduced the overall network traffic of Vainglory up to an eye-boggling 70%. Yeah. That’s a seven, followed by a zero. Bam.” _—CaptainNeato_

* We’ve reduced the amount of network traffic Vainglory requires by up to an epic 70 percent (individual results will vary).
* This will improve network performance and reduce the likelihood of lag.

### **FRIENDS CHAT IMPROVEMENTS**

“We are constantly working to help make communication in Vainglory work better and better for you, and we saw how frustrating it was to have both a Party Chat conversation going and miss what your friends were saying because you didn’t see a new message come in. To fix that, we’ve implemented two things: The first is an incrementing tag next to the button where the new conversation has updated and second, you’ll get a notification that you can tap on to go to that particular chat.\
Chatting to each other should just feel better now too as there were lots of usability improvements in Chatting in general including a keyboard that’s easier to minimize and will now remember what you were saying when you minimize the keyboard and move around the app.

“We’ve also implemented auto-complete and word suggestion to make it much faster to type accurately. Another great help is the messages in your Chat log won’t be covered by the keyboard as you type, which is a massive aid when talking back-and-forth with your friends.

“Streamers and celebrity players, we see how frustrating it is when you are organizing matches and getting spammed with notifications, so we’ve added a game setting, (via iOS Settings app), where you can mute them.” _—Kraken_

* While typing, you can now see the most recent messages in friend chat.
* Chat will remember what you were typing if you minimize the keyboard.
* The keyboard will now close when you tap outside the window.
* Added auto-correct functionality to speed up typing … and inspire hilarious autocorrect mistakes.
* You may now disable instant-message notifications through the Settings app on your device. This will be especially helpful for streamers and celebrities like CaptainNeato.

### **PARTY SCREEN OVERHAUL**

“Setting up parties, especially Private Matching was terribly confusing as it was previously set up. We had you making team comps in the wrong stage of match making, and we’ve fixed that. It’s now an intuitive drag-and-drop action that the team captain does to arrange the teams. _(No more swap teams button! Yeah!)._

* Moved the party team assignment out of the character select screen to where you can chat with the members of your party.&#x20;
* The team captain can drag and drop members to either team freely.
* We hope the Party feature is much easier to use now … no more SWITCH TEAMS madness!&#x20;

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c94013e4b0f2976a2efd4c/1422475284799/#img.png)

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c960aae4b03009ff82c650/1422483627217/#img.png)

### **JOULE**

_Joule was still too weak. That ends now._&#x20;

“Joule has so much potential but really required players to earn a lot of gold and items before they could tap into the fun—and punished players for small mistakes. In this update, we wanted to bring out the fun and approachability in Joule and shave off a lot of the frustration players found with her.” _—CaptainNeato_

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c9614ee4b0718fb537fe46/1422483791513/#img.png)

**Rocket Leap**

* Stun duration increased from 0.5 to (1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3 / 1.4 / 1.7).
* Stun/knockback area increased by 20%.

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c96167e4b0718fb537ff19/1422483816360/#img.png)

**Thunder Strike**

* Can now stack from attacking turrets.
* Thunder Strike stacks take longer to expire (now 10 seconds; was previously 7 secs).

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c96259e4b0b6d53ea078dc/1422484058668/#img.png)

**Stats**

* Increased her base shielding from (22 – 88) to (22 – 104.5).
* Increased her base energy regeneration from (2.42 – 4.62) to (3.5 – 7.02).

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c98275e4b0ab8b43fde2ae/1422492278366/#img.jpg)

### **SKAARF**

_Maintaining an advantage was nearly impossible in the late game._&#x20;

“Skaarf was very strong early game but became incredibly weak late game. Often, players only chance to remain relevant by level 12 was to buy a full load out of defense to give themselves a chance to participate in a teamfight before exploding into confetti. On the other end of the spectrum, his early game would often frustrate the unsuspecting enemies as he dealt unthinkable amounts of damage when he would fan the flames during early jungle invades. Skaarf’s changes are rooted in keeping his play style the same, while enabling players to burn everyone fairly. 😉 Oh, and his ultimate often seemed to get him into more trouble than it would deal damage.” _—CaptainNeato_

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c98226e4b08b19aed5f546/1422492203872/#img.png)

**Fan the Flames (heroic perk)**

* Damage changed from 3%/6%/9% per stack to 2%/4%/6%/8% per stack.
* Benefits from the same amount of shield piercing as Dragon Breath (gains  (15 / 30 / 45%) shield pierce when you level his ultimate).

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c98246e4b08b19aed5f628/1422492232148/#img.png)

**Dragon Breath**

* Damage from this ability now has +15 / 30 / 45% shield pierce.
* Gains +0.30 move speed for 1 second when Skaarf begins breathing fire
* Gains 50 armor & shield during entire ability.

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c94044e4b0f2976a2efed1/1422475333580/#img.png)

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c9a85ce4b01e05842aefc1/1422501981604/#img.png)

### **BREAKING POINT**

_Was frightening on ranged heroes and ineffective on some melee heroes._

“Breaking Point rewards surviving through stalemate fights, but rewards you more when you put yourself at risk and stand in the middle of the fray.” _—CaptainNeato_

* **Changed from +12 weapon to +9. Now +15 if melee.** &#x20;

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c9a88ae4b0ee5502d325de/1422502026596/#img.png)

### **FOUNTAIN OF RENEWAL**

_Dat four-Fountain Adagio … I mean, come on!_

“Yeah. There is a lot I could say about Fountain. But the short answer is… we fixed it.” _—CaptainNeato_

* **+13 health regen stat removed; changed to a new passive:** Regen 1% of max health per second when not in combat with enemy heroes (same for Lifespring).
* **Changed active** from: “Heal 6 health per % missing health over 4 seconds” to “Heal 2 health per % missing health each second for 3 seconds.” You will heal faster, but it will reassess your health _each tick_ of the heal — instead of just once at the beginning.
* **Price increased to 2100** (from 1900).

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c9a8eae4b0f3c2defdb0b0/1422502123479/#img.png)

### **FROSTBURN**

_Too much utility!_

“Frostburn grants a lot of amazing utility for a crystal item. But it finds its way into weapon builds purely because its crowd control is so valuable. Frostburn has always been intended to compliment strong crystal builds, so to really unlock its power, players will be rewarded when they invest in crystal.” _—CaptainNeato_

* **Shifted Frostburn’s slow from 35%, to 15% with an additional 1% for every 10 Crystal Power.**

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c94cf9e4b074d16ad0a309/1422478588392/#img.png)

* **Shatterglass** (effectiveness/purchase rate)
* **Broken Myth** (effectiveness/purchase rate)
* **Koshka** (late-game viability)
* **Taka** (damage, effectiveness, and team synergy)

![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ff565fe4b0826cfdfb4767/54062f48e4b096fd0ba12284/54c94d70e4b074d16ad0a6c8/1422478711925/#img.png)

_What follows are player-reported issues and feedback that we are actively working to address. It will take time, but we wanted you to know that we know … and care._

### **PLAYERS STILL EXPERIENCING SKILL MISMATCHES & ALLY AFKS**

Our work on this front will not stop. It’s perhaps our most important commitment to you.

### **CATHERINE STUN BUG / SAW ROADIE RUN BUGS / MINION & MUNIONS GETTING STUCK / MELEE “STUTTER” WHEN TRYING TO ATTACK**

All of these points of frustration actually have the same deep-rooted source. The good news is that means they all have the same solution and will likely be resolved in one fell swoop. The bad news is it’s a particularly nasty gremlin that we can’t resolve without putting all gameplay at risk. We know what to do, but it will require major QA cycles to ensure no unintended consequences — and we didn’t want to slow down the release of Ardan or other features. That being said, we need to bite the bullet on this and resolve these very real and very annoying issues.

### **INCONSISTENT ATTACK SPEED FROM STUTTER STEPPING**

Actually, also same solution as above! We know. We care. Note: Stutter Stepping is a part of the game and isn’t going away. But changes we are working on will ensure stutter stepping is fair and consistent — and then skill will rule.

### **NEWER DEVICES (AND CERTAIN HEROES) LOAD FASTER, CREATING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OFF MATCH START**

We’re not ready for true competitive play until every match is a level playing field. As we observe players manufacturing their own early tournaments, resolving this becomes a higher and higher priority for us. There are just a lot of competing features and changes we want you to have, and we are a very small team.

### **LONG-TERM PROGRESSION & MORE USES FOR ICE & GLORY**

We’re cooking up some super-secret stuff that we think you’re going to be REALLY excited about. Stick with us. It’s coming!

### **LARGER PLAYER GROUPS (E.G. ALLIANCES, GUILDS, CLANS, ETC.)**

On our radar, but we’re still thinking through this experience.

### **COMPETITIVE TRACK & SPECTATOR MODE**

All these 1v1 and 2v2 tournaments popping up are both amazing and frightening. We want tournaments to capture the full 3v3 Vainglory experience, so this is certainly lighting a fire under us and this feature! _Hear that, TheRealKrul?!_

### **DESIRE FOR DETAILED PLAYER PROFILES (YOURS & FRIENDS’)**

The next step in this process is on Kraken’s screen right now. But we know you also want to see much deeper player data.

### **IN-APP ITEMPEDIA OR WAY TO READ WITHOUT LEAVING QUEUE**

Right now, the best place to look is the [VaingloryFire wiki](http://www.vaingloryfire.com/vainglory/wiki/items), but we know that’s not good enough if you have to leave the app.

### **IN-GAME CHAT**

We are working on more forms of social without (we hope) introducing too much toxicity. This is a delicate balance that we are very much dialed into.

### **I CAN’T PLAY ON MY IPHONE 5 OR MY ANDROID DEVICE!**

There are non-jailbreak workarounds for iPhone 5 in the forums. We don’t have any news on Android at this time, but we definitely hear you.

### **RELEASING VAINGLORY IN JAPAN, KOREA & CHINA**

In progress. EdTheShred and Nansen just returned from a trip to Japan and Korea. Thanks for your patience!

### **MERCHANDISE!**

Fury has this in the works. Soon, Skaarf plushies and Super Evil hoodies!

_Now, go protect with Ardan and set the battle to your own music! And be sure to let us know if you can feel the matchmaking and AFK improvements over the next few weeks. —PlayoffBeard_
